Vacuum air-valve for radiators, &amp;c.



No. 782,328. PATENTEDPEB. V14,1905. A. E. DUR'AAA.v

VACUUM AIR VALVE FOR RADIAToRs, A0.

l APPLICATION FILED HAB. 23,V 1904.

' UNITED STATES Patented February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. DURAM, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VACUUM AIR-VALVE FOR RADIATORS, &0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,328, dated February14, 1905.

I Application filed March 23, 1904. Serial No. 199,552.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern: l

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. DURAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Inmeansfor permitting the escape of air from4 heating-radiators in order thatthe heating iiuid may enter the radiator freely and eiciently. It isalso desirable that the valve through which the air escapes shouldautomatically close as soon as the heating fluid has filled theradiator. It is further desirable to prevent so far as possible thereturn of air through the valve into the radiator when the heating fluid(as steam) is shut off in order that as nearly as possible a vacuum maybe created, and that therefore thel heating agent when turned on againshall have as little Work as possible to do in expelling air beforefilling the radiator.

It is the object of my invention to produce an air-valve by meansofywhich the results above indicated may be efficiently accomplished. AReferring. to the accompanying drawings,

which are made a part hereof, and on which' similar reference charactersindicate similar parts,l Figure 1 is an elevation of an air- Valve and afragment of a radiator-section to which the same is attached, saidair-valve being of a form suitable to embody my invention; Fig. 2, acentral vertical sectional view on a somewhat-enlarged scale of such avalve separately at the point indicated bythe dotted line 2 2 in Fig. 3,and Fig. 3 a horizontal sectional View as seen when looking downwardlyfrom the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

The body of my improved valve is preferably a substantiallysemispherical shell 21, upon which is placed a suitable cap 22. Betweenthe body and thecap I secure a flexible diaphragm 23, which divides theinterior of the valve into two chambers. Secured to the diaphragm at acentral point is a tubular member 24, containing a valve-seat. Belowsaid diaphragm is an expanding device 25, which carries the valve 26(which is preferably in the form of a needle-valve) and which and itsstem 26' may preferably be formed from a piece of small wire or rod.

The expanding member 25 has a stem 27, which extends down toward anadjustable support 28 and preferably into a longitudinal perforation insaid support, and is thus held to a central position in the main chamberof the valve and guided in its vertical movement. Said expanding memberis in the form of a tight drum having imperforate walls. The stem 26 ofthe valve 26 extends down through the head of said drum, to which it isattached, to a point closely adjacent to the opposite head and at apoint immediately above the support 27, so that when pressure is exertedupon the diaphragm from the upper side the structure 24, containing thevalveseat, will be supported rigidly from the support 28, and crushingor collapsing of the expandible member 25 thus prevented. The

stem -27 is shown as prolonged up into the l inserted into the body ofthe valve from below,

and is preferably inclosed by acap 29. When it is desired to adjust'Vthe position of these .parts, the cap 29 is taken oi and the screw-plugturned by means of a screw-driver, as will be readily understood, untilthe exact adjustment desired `is obtained. At the opposite side of thevalve is another screw-plug 30, which is directly above and in line withthe struclture 24 and which also contains a passageway leading from thechamber above the diaphragm to the outside of the valve. I prefer alsoto inclose this with acap 32, both for appearance and protection; butsaid cap when used is provided with aperforation 33, which forms thetermination of the passage-Way. The screw-plug 30.may be adjusted asdesired and forms (in addition to its other functions) a stop limitingthe movement in this direction of the part 24 and the diaphragm 23 towhich it is attached.

As has already been stated, the interior of my improved valve is dividedinto two chambers by means of the diaphragm 23, and there is apassage-way (containing a valve) from the lower chamber to the upperthrough'the structure 24 and also a passage-way from the upper ehamberto the outside through the plug 30. Both of these passages, as shown inFig. 2, are L-shaped, so that there is no direct passage from the lowerchamber to the outer air, and consequently the possibility of small jetsof water being thrown out into the room through this valve in case ofthe sudden admission of steam to the valve (which is an objection inmany forms of valves) is completely avoided and any such Water will beretained in the upper chamber; but the slight amount of water which maythus be forced into the upper chamber will not remain there long, as itwill speedily be vaporized by the heat of the steam which comes againstthe under side of said diaphragm.

The two passage-ways 41 and 42 insure comparatively dry steam (wheresteam is the heating fluid employed) within that portion of the mainvalve-chamber which is below the diaphragm and above the level of thepassage-way 42. The parts are so arranged that the drum 25 will iioat atexactly the proper point for ordinary operation upon the water which thelower portion of said chamber below the level of said passage-way 42contains, and this water is always maintained at this level by thecondensation of the steam, which after this space is filled willordinarily ow out through said passage 42. When, however, (because ofmismanagementof the valves of the heating system or otherwise) there isan iniow of water into the valve under pressure, so that the levelthereof is raised above the level of the passage 42, the buoyancy of thedrum 25 will carry the valve 26 up into contact with its seat andprevent the escape of any such water through the valve, and when normalconditions are restored and the surplus water runs off the drum willreturn to its normal position, opening the valve and permitting theescape of air in the manner elsewhere stated.

In order to obtain the best results, I find it desirable to place withinthe drum 25 some expanding medium which will operate under the heat ofthe steam to expand the oppositev heads of the drum, and thus close thevalve 26, as elsewhere stated. For example, alcohol, which vaporizes at17()O (while steam vis produced from water at 2120) and which in vaporform expands to about fteen hundred times its liquid bulk, serves thepurpose admirably. In an actual test in a full-sized valve I have usedsixty drops of alcohol in one of these drums with excellent results.

The operation of my improved valve is as follows: The heating fluidenters through one or both the orifices 41 42 from the radiator, and assoon as the cold air has been expelled the heat will operate upon theexpanding member 25 and cause it to expand, raising the needle-valve 26and closing the valve. The diaphragm23 will yield slightlyunderthepressure from the valve occasioned by the raising of the expandingmember, but the upward movement is quickly stopped when the part 24,comes in contact with the screwplug 30. This movement, however, doesnot take place until the cold air has been expelled and the temperatureis raised, as stated. When the heating Huid is shut off from theradiator and the radiator coolsdown, the tendency of the air is to rushin through the orice 31 and ll the vacuum which is thus being formed;but the pressure of the air from the outside defeats this purpose, as itcreates a pressure upon the upper side of the diaphragm 23, and thusforces it downwardly, carrying the valve-seat in the part 24 tightlyagainst the upper end of the valve 26, thus preventing any appreciablelow of air back into the radiator, as the parts will cool sufficientlyto permit this movement almost immediately after the heating fluid hasbeen shut off. A vacuum is therefore created in the ra# diator insteadof its becoming filled with air, and when the heating fluid is turned onagain it enters the radiator much more easily and quickly. The pressurewithin the drum 25 caused by the expanding medium therein will hold thevalve 26 closed until the balancepoint of pressure between the steam onthe under side of the diaphragm and the outer pressure of the air ispassed, and when the pressure of the expanding medium yields thepressure of the outer air immediately forces the diaphragm down, causingit to follow the valve in its descent. The pressure upon the outsiderapidly increases as the vacuum is formed in the radiator and veryshortly the wallsof the drum 25 become compressed, and

if it were not for the central post or stem 26' extending from the valve26 to a support below said drum would be crushed or would col'- lapse.The supports provided, however, withstand the pressure, and theintegrity of the partsis maintained, as will be readily understood.

Various changes in construction may be made without departing from myinvention, and I therefore do not desire to be understood as limitingmyself to the construction shown, but may vary the same as I may ndexpedient.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in an air-valve, of two chambers separated by adiaphragm, one of said chambers having communication with the radiator,a buoyant expanding member in the said chamber, and a valve and avalve-seat carried by said diaphragm and said expanding member.

2. The combination, in an air-valve, of the casing, a diaphragmseparating the interior of IOO IIO

said casing into two chambers, one of which chambers communicates bymeans of passageways with the radiator and the other of which has apassage-way leading to the outerair, a diaphragm between the twochambers, a valve member forming a communication between the twochambers and carried by the .diaphragm, a buoyant expanding coperatingvalve member arranged in the lower chamber, and an adjustable stop abovethe diaphragm by which its movement is limited.

3. The combination, with a radiator, of an air-valve having a chamber,two passage-ways one higher than the other leading from the radiator tosaid chamber, a diaphragm 'within the chamber carrying' one valvemember, an expanding device consisting of a hollow drum and carrying theother valve member, said eX- panding device being buoyant 'and capableof floating on the liquid within the main chamber in the valve structurebelow the lower passage-way leading to the radiator.

4:. A valve structure consistmg of, a main body divided into twoportions by means of a diaphragm, a passage forming a communication fromone chamber to the other through the diaphragm, a cooperating valvemember arranged in one, of said chambers, and a buoy- 'ant expansiblemember acting upon said valve ARTHUR E. DURAM.

Witnesses CHESTER BRADFORD, JAMES A. WALSH.

